District 1 – Baudette area
Last updated: 2025-10-14
CO Tony Hams (Warroad North) spent the week checking area anglers and small-game and waterfowl hunters, and monitoring ATV traffic. Violations encountered were no license in possession, no throwable PFD, transporting loaded firearms, possession of toxic shot, and failure to retrieve. Anglers are reporting success on Lake of the Woods near the blinker straight out from Warroad.
CO Coby Fontes (Warroad South) spent the week talking with waterfowl and upland bird hunters, who reported mixed success amidst the unseasonably warm weather. Fontes took enforcement action against a person who was operating an ATV with a child not wearing a helmet and a person who was grouse hunting without wearing an article of blaze orange. Fontes responded to a one-vehicle crash in the Beltrami Island State Forest that ended with a person being arrested for DUI and the possession of ammunition by an ineligible person.
CO Nicholas Prachar (Baudette West) began field training COC Jayden Frank. The officers saw an increase in angling activity on Lake of the Woods and the Rainy River. Time was spent checking anglers and small-game hunters. Enforcement action was taken for transporting a loaded firearm. Two DWI arrests were made.
CO Bobby Stringer (Thief River Falls West) reports waterfowl hunter success in northern portions of Marshall County. Overall, good numbers of ducks were harvested. Sandhill crane numbers are trending lower. Stringer attended a local Lions Club meeting as the guest speaker where a variety of DNR topics were discussed. Enforcement actions for the week included agricultural trespass, unregistered bear baits, hunting waterfowl and small game without licenses in possession, several operations of ATVs with revoked licenses, and a crash/DWI investigation with other district partners.
CO Nick Bruesewitz (Karlstad) reports checking waterfowl hunters and small-game hunters throughout the week. Assistance was given to local law enforcement agencies. Enforcement action was taken for hunting deer over bait, hunting on a state game refuge, and possessing illegal-length northern pike.
CO Brice Vollbrecht (Blackduck North) monitored angling and waterfowl-hunting activity on area lakes. Time was spent patrolling ATV trails and forest roads for grouse-hunting activity. He received complaints of individuals shining deer and spent nights watching fields.
Baudette East – vacant.
Blackduck South – vacant.
District 2 – Bemidji area
Last updated: 2025-10-14
CO Jamus Veit (Bemidji #1) spent the week checking waterfowl and grouse hunters, following up on cases, and answering calls from the public. Veit conducted a law and ethics talk for a firearms safety class in Red Lake. Calls were received of individuals waterfowl hunting within the Bemidji Game Refuge. Enforcement action was taken.
CO Andrew Goodman (Perham) checked hunters getting after a variety of small and big game this week. Windy conditions suppressed most activity by mid-weekend. Compliance among bird hunters remains high, while one deer hunter resorted to baiting due to frustratingly slow conditions. Public land violations were documented and questions from the public were answered.
CO Jake Swedberg (Detroit Lakes) spent the week checking small-game and waterfowl hunters. Ducks and geese have started moving through the area, but strong winds were difficult on hunters this week. Other time was spent catching up on reports.
CO Jordan Anderson (Osage) continues to spend time on ongoing cases related to public land trespass. Time was also spent responding to miscellaneous wildlife-related calls and preparing for upcoming training.
CO William Landmark (Moorhead) spent the week checking waterfowl hunters, pheasant hunters, and archery deer hunters in the Moorhead and Pelican Rapids stations. There are some pockets of ducks around, but waterfowl hunters are having to put on the miles scouting to find them. Pheasant opener saw fewer pheasant hunters than normal and very few birds in the bag. Calls from the public included nuisance-beaver-trapping questions and requests for car-killed deer and bear. Assistance was also provided to a firearms safety course in Ulen. Enforcement action was taken for no life jackets on a waterfowl boat, no license in possession, no identification on a minnow trap, a bear bait registration violation, and taking pheasants in a closed area of a wildlife management area.
CO Angela Warren (Mahnomen) spent time on small-game, waterfowl-, and big-game hunting activity. Area WMAs and waterfowl production areas were patrolled. Angling activity was worked, and patrol was conducted for ATVs and off-road vehicles.
CO Brady Manteufel (Bagley) checked public lands for archery deer and small-game activity. Waterfowl hunters were also checked. Enforcement action was taken for not having all the required stamps, licenses, and HIP survey for waterfowl hunting. Manteufel would like to remind everyone that it’s your responsibility to know what you need and to check what you have when you leave a license vendor. If anyone has questions about licenses for the upcoming youth and the firearms deer seasons, now is the time to ask.
District 3 – Fergus Falls area
Last updated: 2025-10-14
CO Tricia Plautz (Henning) started phase three of field training with COC Homeier. The officers worked waterfowl hunters. One individual self-reported a violation they committed. Fishing activity was monitored, and an illegal bear-hunting case was worked. Several calls were handled on the upcoming early antlerless deer season. A firearms safety class was attended with a laws and ethics talk provided.
CO Ryan Brown (Elbow Lake) reports focusing his enforcement effort on pheasant, duck, and angling activity throughout the week. Pheasant opener saw a good number of hunters out on Saturday with a good success rate. Due to the wind and rain on Sunday, not as many hunters were observed. Various pheasant- and duck -hunting related violations were encountered, and enforcement action was taken.
CO Shane Osborne (Evansville) checked anglers, ATV riders, and waterfowl and pheasant hunters. Site inspections of public water violations were conducted with the area hydrologist. ATV safety class questions were answered.
CO Jake Homan (Alexandria) spent the week patrolling Douglas County for small-game, waterfowl-hunting, pheasant-hunting, and angling activities. With the change in the weather, anglers were having more success for panfish and walleyes. Enforcement action was taken for illegal-length northern pike and insufficient PFDs.
CO Felicia Znajda (Osakis) patrolled angling activity and ATV operators while checking duck hunters and numerous pheasant hunters over the weekend. She followed up on ongoing wetland violations and responded to wounded-wildlife complaints. Various enforcement action was taken throughout the week.
CO Curtis Jepson (Wheaton) checked anglers and waterfowl and pheasant hunters. There were more boat trailers at the public accesses and shore fishing along the river, thanks to the welcomed cooler weather. He observed a fair number of pheasant hunters in the field for the opener, even though it was windy. Enforcement action was taken for various infractions, including no small-game license, pheasant stamp, and HIP certifications.
CO Emily Douvier (Morris) reports working a busy waterfowl and opening pheasant weekend. The number of pheasants harvested was lower than expected. Waterfowl hunters continue to find success as slightly colder weather pushes through more birds. Assistance was provided at an altercation on the Central Lakes Trail in Otter Tail County over the illegal use of a motorized bike being operated on the trail. An injured eagle was rescued and later given to a volunteer for transport to the Raptor Center. Douvier also encountered a pheasant hunter who collapsed due to a cardiac arrest. Luckily, quick access to state-issued AEDs helped save the man’s life.
CO Andrew Ladzinski (Glenwood) dedicated his patrols towards waterfowl and small-game enforcement. Numerous pheasant hunters were checked during the opening weekend. A few hunters were able to find some roosters, but many hunters were reporting few sightings due to high winds and abundant remaining crops. Enforcement action was taken for hunting without a pheasant stamp and leaving a ladder stand on a WPA. Ladzinski investigated a report of four swans that had been placed into garbage cans at a private residence near Villard.
District 4 – Walker area
Last updated: 2025-10-14
CO Nick Baum (Park Rapids) patrolled the local area for small-game and recreational vehicle traffic. Baum found many groups of ATV riders enjoying the fall weather. Baum observed several hunters with varying levels of success at harvesting small game. He took enforcement action on various violations.
CO Landyn Saewert (Wadena) spent the week checking duck and grouse hunters. Many grouse hunters are reporting a reduced number of grouse in the area. Time was also spent monitoring ATV activity, answering calls from the public, and following up on complaints. Enforcement action was taken for an unregistered big-game animal and driving after revocation.
CO Patrick McGowan (Cass Lake) worked Leech, Cass, and Winnibigoshish lakes throughout the week for angling and waterfowl-hunting activity. Waterfowl hunters are reporting limited success and anglers are finding better success with the cooling weather. Enforcement action was taken for transporting a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle, illegal-length walleyes, angling with extra lines, and numerous boating violations.
CO Jacque Johnson (Longville) responded to multiple forest fires. She reminds hunters to fully extinguish their campfires before leaving.
CO Levi Brown (Staples) focused time on bear hunting this week with hunters attempting to take a bear prior to the close. Over the weekend with the cooler weather, ATV activity was present and local riding areas were busy.
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